News Presentation

Contents 1 Advisory line 2 Bullet points 2.1 Brief 2.2 Wrapup 2.3 Interview 2.4 Preview 2.5 Market reports 2.6 Factboxes 3 Bylines 4 Cross-heads (Sub-heads) 5 Datelines 6 Headlines 6.1 Headline tags 7 Pool reports 8 Schedules 8.1 Schedule issue times 8.2 Skedlines 9 Sign-offs 10 Slugs and Slugging 10.1 How to slug 11 Unique Story Numbers (USNs) 11.1 The USN drill

Advisory line

(also known as an EDS NOTE or “Trash Line“)

Advisory lines at the top of Updates, advise clients of additional new details in a running story and where to find the information in text. They are also an important news-editing tool because they help us decide whether we really need to re-edit the story. If possible, keep the note to one line (no more than two), enclosed in brackets. Indent one space and start with a capital letter. Be specific e.g. (Adds prime minister’s reaction in paragraph 3, updates death toll in paragraph 4). Do not start the advisory with “eds” or “eds note”. If you recast your story completely because of a significant development, say e.g. (“Rewrites throughout after military intervention threat”). Avoid journalese – e.g. “graf”, “graph”, “para”.

Bullet points

The aim of bullet points is to break complicated information down into digestible form or to highlight the main elements of a story. Bullet points also free us up to be more creative in our lead writing.

Bullet points work in many story formats: BRIEFs, WRAPUPs, INTERVIEWs, market reports and factboxes.

Here are general guidelines:

Here are some details on the various story formats that currently use bullet points. We may extend this group to include other story types.

Bylines

A correspondent’s byline underlines “ownership” and responsibility for a substantial part of the reporting. We do not byline routine reporting of a statement or news release or a newspaper or other pickup. We can use a byline on a story only against a dateline where the reporter was present.

Apart from newsbreaks, any news story may carry a byline if it contains original reporting. Length is not relevant. Double bylines may be used on stories originating from a single centre when the story is the product of significant reporting by two individuals, but should be used sparingly. Normally, a second reporter’s contribution would be recognised in the “additional reporting” signoff. Never use more than two bylines on a single story, and keep it to a maximum two or three names in the “additional reporting” signoff. Stories with a double dateline that are bylined should carry a byline from each location.

Cross-heads (Sub-heads)

Cross-headings are used in all stories of 500 or more words to break the mass of copy into more digestible morsels. Cross-heads are sub-headlines of two to four words, all in upper case. Aim for something simple, informative and unbiased. Insert a line feed (that is a blank line) before the cross-head. One or two cross-heads are enough in a 500-600 word piece. Three or four will do in an 800-word story. Make sure the cross-heads don’t break the flow of the story, for instance by breaking up a speaker’s quotes.

Datelines

Datelines serve two purposes. One is to demonstrate that we have a presence. The other is to show where the action is taking place. We should generally dateline stories from places only where we have a staff reporter, stringer or visuals journalist who has contributed to the reporting. It is sometimes legitimate to dateline stories from a place where we have a bureau even if the story is written elsewhere. In most cases, such stories will not require on-the-spot reporting and will usually be written by one bureau for another bureau in the same country. Any exceptions to this general principle should be discussed first with a senior editor in the region.

We do not use datelines in places where we are not present.

A Reuters dateline is indented four spaces at the start of the text field. Give the city in upper case. The date and the name (Reuters) are in upper and lower case. A dash between spaces separates the dateline from the opening paragraph of the text. Where a city is not the capital of a country or is not very well known worldwide, include the country. For example, MELBOURNE is well enough known to stand on its own. But it would be “WAGGA WAGGA, Australia.”

In the Americas, the DL field in the DECADE header field must also be completed. Double datelines may be used on stories with a broadly similar amount of substantive information from two locations. The following U.S. cities stand alone in datelines without the need to mention their state:

• Atlanta
• Baltimore*
• Boston
• Chicago
• Cincinnati
• Cleveland
• Dallas
• Denver
• Detroit
• Honolulu
• Houston
• Indianapolis
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• Miami
• Milwaukee
• Minneapolis
• New Orleans
• New York
• Oklahoma City
• Philadelphia
• Phoenix
• Pittsburg
• St Louis
• Salt Lake City
• San Antonio
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Washington

All items take datelines with the following exceptions: Items that are either tabular, entirely numerical or compilations of established background facts. These are Factbox, Chronology, Earnings Table, Text, Diary, Advisory, New Issue, Sports Results, Sports Fixtures, Sports Standings, Sports Summaries, Take a Look, Top News, News Highlights, STXNEWS, FXNEWS, MMNEWS, Reuters Historical Calendar, Reuters Quote of the Day.

Items based on information received entirely by electronic means at a global centre need not carry a dateline if the dateline risks confusing the reader. This must have the approval of the relevant regional or global editor. If the story is about a company, it should identify where the company is based in the text. The signoff should identify where the story was written to ensure transparency. Items that do not carry a dateline use the following style: May 6 (Reuters) –

In this case, the date is that of the source of the electronic information and not the centre where the item was compiled (i.e. in a different time zone). Stories without datelines must say who wrote the story and the writer’s location between single parentheses at the end of the item. All other information goes in the signoff. Signoffs of stories written by someone other than the reporter must also identify the name and location of the writer regardless of the dateline or the absence of a dateline.

Headlines

Headlines are both a presentational and writing issue. Far too many are dull, unclear and uninformative, prompting the reader to switch off, rather than tune in. Headlines are a maximum 50 characters after the tag, written in upper and lower case. They must be sharp, clear and informative. In the case of a screen reader, they must have the basic information needed to make a decision. Use short words instead of long; use the active voice, not passive; use present tense and avoid unfamiliar abbreviations. If it is a corporate story, insert key RICs. It is better to convey one idea crisply and clearly rather than cram in two ideas awkwardly.

Headline tags

Tags are used at the start of a headline to give screen clients a clearer idea of the type of story behind the headline. Some tags are allowed to be all upper case; others need to be presented in upper/lower case (Click here for the full list on Julius of tags and their definition).

Tags should be followed by a dash (no space) and the headline immediately after the dash (again no space). e.g.: ANALYSIS-White House change on Iran may reap benefits Approved tags do not count towards the 50 character limit on headlines.

Pool reports

A pool is a limited group of journalists from different news services who report on behalf of the entire press corps when space is limited or there are other constraints, such as safety, on general access to an area or event. A single reporter may also constitute a pool.

The ground rules for pools, and in many cases the procedures for selecting pool members, should be clearly defined and understood.

Basically there are three kinds of pools:

• A single story is written on behalf of all pool members.
• Individual pool members write their own stories which are filed on a collective pool basis.
• The pool writer provides a detailed, chronological account of what happened in note form and journalists write their own stories from that.

If we know that the Reuters member of the pool has written the story we should use his or her byline, including an advisory line like this: (This story was written by Reuters correspondent Jane Smith on behalf of the pool of White House correspondents in Saudi Arabia.)

If the Reuters correspondent did not write the story we should not use a byline and should file an advisory line like this: (The pool of White House correspondents in Saudi Arabia of which Jane Smith of Reuters is a member wrote this story.) Add the word (POOL) to the slug of a pooled story, e.g. BC-TRANSMENIA-HOSTAGES (POOL).

Schedules

The Schedule (or Sked in newsroom jargon) is primarily a planning tool for media clients, providing a present tense approximation of the first paragraph of major stories that are planned, about to move or which have already moved and are worth highlighting. It does not list all stories on the file. The Schedule also serves as a news planning tool for editors. News must never be “saved for the Sked”. We are a round-the-clock operation and publish news as it happens. Desk editors compile the Schedule from “skedlines” submitted by reporters and bureaux.

World News Schedules are issued six times a day on the Reuters World Service (RWS) main media wire and World Business News schedules three times a day on the business wire. Reuters Americas also issues two schedules for the Reuters North America (RNA) wire and three business schedules per day for business wire clients in the Americas. Wires go only to media clients so RICs should not be used on business schedules.

Schedule issue times

The World News Schedule is issued at 0200 GMT and 0600 GMT all year round and at the following GMT times during the London summer/winter; 1000/1100; 1400/1500; 1800/1900; 2200/2300.

Business News Schedules are sent at 0500 GMT (Asia) and by London at 0830/0930 GMT and 1230/1330 GMT.

In the Americas, skedlines must be filed early enough to meet the following deadlines: (All times New York time, i.e. EST in the winter or EDT in the summer) 0700 RAM general news media schedule 1030 RAM Reuters Business Report (RBR) media schedule 1030 RAM general news media schedule 1430 RAM Reuters Business Report (RBR) media schedule (Update 1) 1430 RAM general news media schedule 1700 RAM general news media schedule

Skedlines

Offerings for the Schedules are commonly known as “skedlines” and allow Reuters editors to see what stories are developing and select the most important for the “Sked”... Example: UNITED NATIONS – Zimbabwe should immediately halt its bulldozing of urban slums, a campaign that has been carried out in “an indiscriminate and unjustified manner, with indifference to human suffering,” U.N. report says (ZIMBABWE-UN/ (UPDATE 2), moving at 0900, pix, tv, by Evelyn Leopold, 575 words). There should be no “cycle identifier” (i.e. “BC” meaning “both cycles”) preceding the slug. In this example from the World News Schedule, 0900 is understood to mean 0900 GMT. If this were a U.S. Schedule, the time would be styled 9 a.m. and would be understood to be EST or EDT. The skedline must state whether there is a picture or television images to accompany the story, at what time the story moved or is expected to move, and how many words the story has or is expected to run to.

Desks will go back to the bureau if they think the story will be too long, or too late or should have accompany images.

In the Americas, reporters send a skedline either to the World Desk, Americas or to the relevant desk in New York, using the appropriate desk code. (A one word slug SKEDLINE on the Cy-Slug line of the DECADE header is sufficient. No headline needed on the GN-Head line of the DECADE header). For other regions, skedlines should be coded NEXT plus the relevant desk code (LON for London or ASDK for Asia), depending on which centre is compiling the next World Schedule. Skedlines should be sent at least half an hour before the Schedule is issued. Add a reasonable amount of time for desk editing when estimating the time you expect the story to be published. If you are unable to meet the landing time noted in the Schedule, you must advise the desk. If the delay is significant, an Advisory may have to be issued. On a big breaking story, the skedline should be sent after the Newsbreak. On a late breaking story, desks can take a skedline until the last minute as long as there is notice that one is coming. If an important news event is due, send a holding skedline stating briefly what is coming, the slug, when expected, author and wordage. If you miss a Schedule, send a skedline anyway so the desks can highlight the story as MOVED in the next one.

Sign-offs

Sign-offs give the contact details for the people most involved in researching and editing a story. They demonstrate accountability and also give clients a contact point if they have problems with a story. A sign-off comprises a first line of content in single parentheses that lists the main people involved in creating and editing the story, followed by a second section in double parentheses that gives contact information for the reporter, or the primary reporter where more than one contributed.

So it would look like this:

(Reporting by Sam Thomas; Editing by June Singh)

((sam.thomas@reuters.com; +1 646 897 1898; Reuters Messaging: sam.thomas.reuters.com@reuters.net ))

The information in single brackets will go out to all clients; the section in double parentheses will only go to financial clients, as everything after the first set of double parentheses in any story is always stripped before the story goes out to media clients. Note the format: single indent for both lines of content; Reporting and Editing are capitalised, by is not capitalised; first line has single parentheses and does not contain any contact information, only roles and names; second line is in double parentheses and contains the contact information such as telephone numbers; no mention of e-mail or Tel; Reuters Messaging: is written just like that; telephone number includes + and country dial code; sections are separated by a semi-colon. Do not add items for other people, such as Editing by xxxx - this does not make it easier for the desk and all too often the result is that the xxxx goes out to clients.

Guidelines for particular story types:

1. BYLINED STORY – A byline gives the name of the reporter or reporters who have made the most substantial contribution to a story and have a responsibility for the bulk of the content.A story that carries a byline does not carry a "Reporting by" entry. Reason: duplication of information. Sign-off then would be: (Editing by June Singh)((sam.thomas@reuters.com; +1 646 897 1898; Reuters Messaging: sam.thomas.reuters.com@reuters.net)) For double bylined stories add both sets of contact details in double parentheses, on merit.
2. BYLINED STORY WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTER(S) – Other reporters who contributed to a bylined story are credited, with their locations if they are different from those of the dateline: (Additional reporting by Mohan Kumar in Bangkok; Editing by June Singh)((sam.thomas@reuters.com; +1 646 897 1898; Reuters Messaging:sam.thomas.reuters.com@reuters.net)) NOTE: "Additional reporting by" credits are generally not warranted if all you did was get a ‘no comment’ from a company spokesman. Let’s be generous and chalk this up to teamwork.
3. NO BYLINE – Story carries single "Reporting by" credit that lists one or more reporters that worked on the story (in that single field). Reason: puts same information across in less space.(Reporting by Sam Thomas and Mohan Kumar; Editing by June Singh)((sam.thomas@reuters.com; +1 646 897 1898; Reuters Messaging:sam.thomas.reuters.com@reuters.net))
4. EDITING BY – Should usually show the name of the last person who edited the story or the person who did the most substantial edit. If the story was edited in the bureau before being sent to the desk, the "Editing by" field should show the name of the bureau editor and the person who finally pushed the button on the story. This field should never show more than two names.
5. WRITING BY – used on stories where the bylined reporter on the spot can report but not write, for whatever operational reason. Note that the contact details in this case should also be for the writer. Reason: the reporter in this case is very probably not easy to reach. This field may also be used where a journalist has written a story that draws substantially on a series of stories from another Reuters service, possibly even adding some local reporting, rather than producing a straight translation of a story. (Writing by Olaf Brandt; Editing by June Sink)((olaf.brandt@reuters.com; +1 646 897 1335; Reuters Messaging: olaf.brandt.reuters.com@reuters.net))
6. TRANSLATED BY – used on stories that are translated into another language, alongside the credits for the original reporter(s) either in the byline or the sign-off, as outlined above. Contact details should be those of the translator unless the reporter can also easily field questions in the new language of the story. (Reporting by Sam Thomas; Translated by Jeanne Bouchard)((jeanne.bouchard@reuters.com; +33 1 1234 5678; Reuters Messaging: jeanne.bouchard.reuters.com@reuters.net))
7. SENSITIVE OR DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES - our reporters sometimes cannot be named because they are working in difficult or dangerous circumstances, where identification culd endanger them. If this is the case, leave the name of the reporter off the story and use the contact details for the desk or bureau Editor.
8. STRINGERS - if the reporter is a stringer who does not have Reuters contact details, then use their name as reporter but use contact details for the bureau or editor which handled the story. If you cannot use the stringer's name, use the name of the editor and his/her contact details.

Slugs and Slugging

A slug is a word or combination of words and numbers appearing at the start of stories to identify each one and, where necessary, establish links with related stories. All stories require slugs (see more details on Julius)

A slug is a tool that media and online clients use in word searches to retrieve stories that interest them. It is also a key tool within Reuters own systems to allow related content, including video and still images, to be packaged together. The “slugline” is all in capital letters, e.g.: RUSSIA-ECONOMY/IMF (UPDATE 1) All content that carries the same packaging slug (the section of the slug before the forward slash) will be automatically pulled together into a single news story package, in this case on the Russian economy (RUSSIA-ECONOMY).

No two stories published in the same 24-hour cycle should carry an identical slug. But it is important that linked stories should carry the same "packaging slug". The end of the packaging slug is identified by a forward slash /. This format will allow related material to be identified by the automated news event packager and presented to clients as a package. e.g. BRITAIN-ELECTION/POLLS, BRITAIN-ELECTION/POLICIES, BRITAIN-ELECTION/BLAIR (NEWSMAKER), BRITAIN-ELECTION/ (UPDATE 1) etc. Slugs start with a “BC-” designator (“BC” stands for “both cycles”) to tell computers accepting the story that the story carries a slug e.g.: BC-RUSSIA-QUAKE/ or BC-CATHAY-RESULTS/ (URGENT)

There is no space before or after a hyphen. Additional information such as URGENT, UPDATE, FACTBOX etc, should appear in brackets one space after the end of the slug. This is also the space where you should indicate if there are pictures or video to illustrate a story. Where more than one of these is present, separate them by commas eg. (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV).

The 24-hour news day means that the counting of UPDATES, for example, usually reverts to 1 at midnight local time, but use common sense. If there is a plane crash at 11:15 at night and you’ve got an Update 1 out at 11:45 it might look a bit silly to revert to a new series at 12.10. Look for a natural break when you can start the series again.

How to slug

The slug on a story should indicate clearly and unambiguously what the story is about. Many words are suitable as slugs - country, region, company, event, institution, disease, person, category, subject etc. We should choose one word - or two words separated by a hyphen - to make up the "root" or packaging slug of the story. This should end in a forward slash /. The packaging slug stands alone on the main story (the UPDATE or WRAPUP) and on the most important visuals in the package. Separate but related stories should carry the same packaging slug plus another word after the / to best describe the content. For example, the main story from a Nato summit might be slugged NATO-SUMMIT/. A breaking story on a speech by President Bush at the conference would be slugged NATO-SUMMIT/BUSH, a factbox would be slugged NATO-SUMMIT/ISSUES (FACTBOX), a demonstration outside the venue would be slugged NATO-SUMMIT/PROTEST. The later trunk would be slugged NATO-SUMMIT/ (UPDATE 3). Broad category or thematic words should be avoided in sluglines unless they are appropriate, as can be the case on clearly defined or single-issue stories. Make sure you change the UPDATE number in the slugline when you re-lead the story, and make sure the Update number in the slug and headline match.

Unique Story Numbers (USNs)

The Unique Story Number (USN) links together pages of a story on terminals. As long as the same USN is used on each page of a story, our systems can join together the pages into a single item. The USN also allows us to correct, overwrite and replace stories on the screen. It is a basic desk and reporter function to check that correct USNs are used. Please note that USNs must be enclosed by square brackets and preceded by an “n” when they are used as a navigational tool in TOP NEWS SUMMARIES, TAKE A LOOKs etc. e.g.: “This story is accompanied by a Table. To retrieve, click on [nSYD12345].

The USN drill

A snap and newsbreak carry the same USN. The UPDATE 1 to that newsbreak takes a new USN and all subsequent updates retain that USN through the rest of the 24-hour news cycle. When a story begins without a snap or a newsbreak, the USN remains the same on all subsequent updates through the rest of the 24-hour news cycle. This applies to all types of story.

Exceptions:

A corrected story should take the same USN as the story it replaces. The next update in the series should take a new USN which remains on all subsequent updates. Market reports each take a separate USN.

Category: Guide to Operations